Switching conveyer means



Nov. 16, 1943.

M.COHEN SWITCHING CONVEYER MEANS Original Filed Aug. 26 1940 Patented Nov. 16, 1943 .swiiitomncoonvnmn MEANS p "Morri's Coheng Kansas City, Mm, ass'ignor to Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Kansas iMo ra co'npnrafiibn of Delaware,

City,

v .Dtig'i'nall application August 26, 1940, Serial 1%.-

lclaim. Lou sa-1Z5) This invention "relates to- -"switching conveyer means more particularly for "bakery gobds units such as wrapped loavesof bread which are "to be allocated, invarying numbers "of such. units, to

a plurality of delivery vehicles v a Among other objects the invention contem- "plates simple and improved means whereby"a plurality of conveyerframes may-be spread apart and supplied by a single bread wrapping machine, for example, with a minimum of labor and mechanism and with consequentenhanced speed of operation *and'reduction of cost ofth'e individual-units. e This is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 354,189, filed August 26', I940,

and issuedas Patent No. 2,310,160 on February 2, 1943.

The invention will be understoodbyreference to the following descriptiomtaken together with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure '1 is aplan view of my improved "and simplified switching conveyer means;

Figure '2 is -a-side elevational view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1 and being a view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail plan View of improved conveyer parts; and

Figure 4 is a further enlarged detail of one of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring in detail to the exemplary construction shown in the drawing, the numeral III indicates diagrammatically an article discharging device which may be, in one instance, a bread wrapping machine of the conventional type for wrapping loaves of bread in sequence and discharging them onto a conveyer for purposes of distribution and delivery, to, say, vehicle stations on a shipping room floor.

In order that such a floor be not unduly lengthened in proportion to its width to accommodate a number of such stations it may be desirable to have a plurality of conveyer frames served by a single wrapping machine and I have here shown two such frames which, in order that they may be spaced apart while still directed toward the single Wrapping machine I 0,. desirably at their ends nearest the wrapping machine have curved conveyer frame sections II and I2.

In operative cooperation with both the wrapping machine II! and the curved conveyer frame sections II and 2, I have shown a separate switching conveyer frame I3, pivoted at I4 wherepl-an view I3 carrying its own prime mover such "as the motor reducer? at its "end opposite its pivot end and 'mobilizin'gmeans 'thereat such as the cast- The conveyers preferably include endless conveyor-belts I8; I9 and '20 respectively, some or allot which may desirably be made up of metal bars H, "one of which is shown 'in Fig. 4 each having ofiset end porticnswhich are sinuously and looped around, the next adjacent bar "to form a, continuous flexible belt as indicated inFigQ3, the bars being'spaced apart a distance less than the 'sma'llestdimens'ion of the articles,

by it may be tangentially disposed with respect to each of the conveyer frame sections I I and I2 selectively, said tangentially located conveyer such as wrapped "loaves'of bread, which are intended to beconveyed thereon,

In accordance with the present invention, the belts I8 and i9 for the curved conveyer frame sections II and "I2 are constructed on an arc lying in the 'p'lane -of the conveyors by exped'ients which will be next described, the detailed description next given relating particularlyto the belt on the conveyer frame section II'. It 'is "to-be understood thatthe belt I9 "for the conveyer frame'section l2 may be similarly constructed but complementary thereto.

As here shown, for the belt I8, each belt bar I! has ofiset portions 2| and 22 at opposite ends thereof, formed as previously indicated, the offset portion 22 being longer in the case of each bar than the offset portion 2| thereof, whereby whenthe bars are interconnected as shown in Fig. 3 to form the belt I8, the bars H are arranged in radial relation, with the offset portions 2| forming a smaller arc than the offset portions 22, thus adapting the belt I8 to the curved frame of the conveyer section I I. Side rails 23, for the belt I8, and 24, for the belt I9, on the conveyer sections II and I2, respectively, guide the belts I8 and I9 so constructed, in arcuate form, in endless belt travel about the usual rollers, only those adjacent the tangentially located conveyer I3 being here shown, such as the roller 25 for the conveyer section II, and

' 26 for the conveyer section I2. Suitable mechanism,,not here shown, may be provided for driving the belts I8 and I9 in the usual way.

Reverting to the tangentially located conveyer I3, this may comprise a frame having a pair of side rails 27 which carry at their ends the bearing brackets 28 and 29 for the rollers 30 and 3| respectively upon which the endless conveyer belt 20 of this conveyer I3 is entrained.

Further in accordance with the present invention, the conveyer I3 has a three-point mounting for the purposes herein disclosed, one of these points constituting the pivot point M. The latter desirably embodies vertically telescoping members such as in this instance a cylindrical leg 32 depending centrally from the bracket 28 and telescopically received in a tubular housing 33. A set-screw 34 at the upper end of this housing adapted'to frictionallyyengage the leg 32 may be used to fix the degree of telescoping and thus, at this end, determine the height of the conveyer belt 20 from the floor 35. The housing 33 may have a base plate 36 through which bolts 31 pass to clamp the housing to the floor in a position, as here shown, centrally in front of the wrapping machine l0.

At its opposite end the conveyer l3 desirably has an underslung frame portion 38 upon .a horizontal strut 39 of which the motor-reducer 15 may be advantageously carried. A driving chain 40 operatively connected with the motor-reducer and with the roller 3| may furnish the power for driving the belt 20, which. chain is entrained with the out-putshaft 15a of the motor-reducer and with a sprocket 3 I a fixedly related to the roller 3 I.

4 At this end of the conveyer l3 also may be lo.- cated a-pair of standards 4| which connect the frame parts 21 and 28 with the casters 16, these casters being arranged with their axles extending in the direction of the side rails 21 so that the f casters l6 are adapted to rotate in a plane transverse to the siderails and thus provide for antifrictionally swinging the conveyer I3'say from the position shown in ,full lines in Fig.1 in the direotionof the arrow 42, to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and vice-versa. It will be understood that this may be done with the setscrew 34 loosenedand when the selected positioning of the conveyer I3 is accomplished, and the .appropriate height for the single leg 32 of the con- 40 Soconstructed and arranged, the tangentially tively with wrapped loaves from the bread wrapping machine III, which loaves it will be understood ride readily over the conveyer belt 20 from the discharge end of the Wrapping machine and moving in the direction of the'arrow 43, onto either the conveyer belt 18 or I9 as desired. Thus a plurality of conveyers maybe served by the same wrapping machine with a minimum of adjustment, the conveyers themselves so served accommodating themselves, following the present invention, to being spaced apart on the shipping floor or other loading space as and for a purpose, for example, more particularly pointed out in my co-pending application hereinbefore mentioned.

It is tobe understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to details of construction here shown for illustrative purposes; Furthermore, it is not intended that it will be understood that all features of the present disclosure each. said conveyer frame carrying an endless conveyer belt comprising a series of bars, each barv havingan offset end portion sinuously bent and looped about its next adjacent bar, the offset end portions at one end of each bar being longer and thereby offset to a greater extent than the said portions at the'other end of the bar wherebyto cause the endless conveyer belt to be curved to correspond with the curved frame therefor,

,anda-separate switching conveyer frame located tangentially to each of said. curved conveyer frames at their said adjacent ends andadapted --to serve both curved conveyers selectively.

MORRIS COHEN. 

